Gorgon

Boasting powerful hoof-like legs and acute combat prowess, no one can stop Gorgon while he stands. As a member of the Inhuman royals, and cousin to their leader Black Bolt, Gorgon not only protects his family, he defends their land Attilan from threats both foreign…and familial.

Royal Inhuman and Commander

Gorgon is a member of the Royal Family of the Inhumans—a sub-species of humanity from the city Attilan that was created through Kree experiments. As such, he is allies with most of his family including his cousin and King, Black Bolt, his wife, Queen Medusa, Medusa’s sister Crystal, and his cousins Triton and Karnak. Gorgon’s mother, Milena, was an archivist and his father, Korath, an architect who was related to the Inhumans’ royalty. At a young age, Gorgon experienced the traditional Terrigen Mist exposure, known as Terrigenesis, which allows Inhumans to unlock their potential for super human abilities.

Gorgon developed a super human physique including tremendous strength and modified legs, which can generate powerful shock waves by stamping his feet. By his teenage years, Gorgon was a close friend of his cousins in the royal family including Black Bolt, Medusa and Triton—but was closest to Karnak. Owing to his formidable strength, Gorgon took a career in the Inhumans’ militia, and although he mastered his powers responsibly, he remained short-tempered.

Gorgon, the Seismic Guardian

Gorgon’s powers are centered in his massively muscled legs and hoof-like feet; approximately three-quarters of Gorgon’s weight is in the lower half of his body. Due to his low center of gravity, it is extremely difficult to knock him off balance and, were he to fall from almost any height, he would land on his feet.

Gorgon’s legs can generate vibrations on a molecular level that develop an intense pulse of kinetic energy. By stomping his feet on the ground, Gorgon releases energy as either a dynamic wave through the Earth, or a more diffused, radially propagating concussion wave along the ground. Gorgon can create seismic tremors of up to 7.5 on the Richter scale with a single stamp and up to 9.5 when near a tectonic plate fault line. Gorgon can control the relative strength of the tremor and can use his power continually for several hours before fatiguing. Gorgon has superhuman strength, able to lift 10 tons, and possesses enhanced durability. Like most Inhumans, Gorgon’s immune system is weaker than that of an average human.

Gorgon is an experienced military fighter and commander, often wielding a mace that generates an unidentified form of energy that increases its striking power.

An Inhuman’s Opposition

Maximus, while cousin to Gorgon, is typically an enemy as he often tries to claim Attilan’s throne from his brother Black Bolt—and is known to put Gorgon under his thrall.

Gorgon defends Attilan against threats including the giant android Omega, the robot Ultron, the Kree, Shatterstar (Arides), and the Pursuer (a mutated cockroach). Queen Veranke and the Skrulls attack Attilan, as do Apocalypse and his Dark Riders, the extraterrestrial Brethren, and the scientific Enclave—Moonstone (Karla Sofen) and Blackout (Marcus Daniels).

The Frightful Four are the villainous counterparts of the Fantastic Four and include Madam Medusa, Gorgon’s royal relative whose memories are lost.

Ever Allies

The Royal Family of the Inhumans—including leaders Black Bolt and Medusa, Medusa’s sister Crystal, Triton, and his best friend Karnak—are longstanding allies to Gorgon. He also leads the the Attilan Militia, the Inhumans’ military arm, as their commander.

Occasionally, the Fantastic Four clash with Gorgon, though they ultimately fight alongside one another with other allies such as T’Challa, the Black Panther.

Scraping Hooves

When Black Bolt’s deceitful brother Maximus usurped the throne, he combined three Alpha Primitives (the Inhumans’ slaves) known as the energy-wielding Trikon. During the clash, Medusa was lost and suffered amnesia. Maximus then launched a successful smear campaign against Black Bolt, convincing the public that he was an Alpha Primitive sympathizer. He also held hostages, among them Korath and Milena for leverage against Gorgon. Facing defeat, Black Bolt was forced to honor Maximus’ kingship and the royal family, including Gorgon, Karnak, Triton, and Crystal, were exiled from Attilan. At this point, they began searching for Medusa.

After years in exile, Gorgon pined for Attilan and secretly held a meeting with Maximus. Gorgon agreed to bring back Medusa (Maximus hoped to make her his queen), and Maximus released most of his hostages, promising to let the exiled royals live peacefully in Attilan. However, Gorgon was mortified to learn that Korath had been killed by Maximus’ lackey, the Seeker. Seeing no alternatives, Gorgon held to his bargain and hunted for Medusa independently of the other royals, eventually finding she had assumed the identity of Madam Medusa, one of the Frightful Four, villainous counterparts of the Fantastic Four. In seeking Medusa, Gorgon clashed with the Fantastic Four, but finally returned Medusa to the royals and restored her memory.

The reunited royals returned to Attilan, where Black Bolt retrieved his crown from Maximus, but Maximus sealed Attilan within a Negative Zone barrier that cut them off from humankind. Gorgon and Karnak attempted to pierce the barrier, but it finally took the power of Black Bolt to destroy it.

The royal family continued their adventures in the outside world, like when they aided the Black Panther and Fantastic Four against the Psycho-Man but still had to contend repeatedly with Maximus’ attempts to regain the throne, clashing with the likes of the Mandarin, the Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd) and the Hulk (Bruce Banner) as well.

After Black Bolt was turned into an amnesiac by Maximus’ mental powers, the Inhumans scoured the U.S.A. for their lost king, battling unusual foes such as the bionic rabble rouser Lionel Dibbs, before finally restoring his throne.

Gorgon continued to defend Attilan against threats, including the giant android Omega, the robot Ultron, the Kree, Shatterstar (Arides), the Pursuer (a mutated cockroach), and, of course, the ever-present Maximus.

When many of the Inhumans were stricken with sickness from exposure to the outside world’s environment, the Fantastic Four aided them in relocating Attilan from the Himalayas to the moon, at the site of the Kree’s abandoned Blue Area of the Moon. Although the Inhumans were isolated from most interference, they still found occasional threats such as the scientific Enclave, Moonstone (Karla Sofen), and Blackout (Marcus Daniels) on their doorstep.

When Crystal’s husband, Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff), wanted their daughter Luna to undergo Terregenesis, Gorgon and Karnak allegedly fashioned a transmitter to their dog Lockjaw, making it appear he was a mutated Inhuman who could speak. Terrified at the prospect of what Terrigenesis might bring, Quicksilver chose to let Luna alone.

Gorgon and Karnak’s friendship was tested when Gorgon fell in love with Minxi, Medusa’s handmaiden. Karnak found himself similarly drawn to Minxi, chilling his and Gorgon’s relationship. Further complicating matters, Medusa became pregnant with Black Bolt’s son, but the Inhumans’ Genetics Council considered him dangerous and forbade letting the child live. Karnak and Gorgon were divided on the issue, with Karnak loyal to the council, while Gorgon sided with Medusa. Regardless, the two aided Medusa in her self-imposed exile to Earth where she gave birth to Ahura. Upon returning to Attilan, Ahura was taken into the council’s custody and later sent to Earth where he was raised by a human foster mother. Gorgon and Karnak then quested for Ahura, along the way aiding Daredevil (Matt Murdock) against another Ultron incarnation. The duo also met Daredevil’s genetically perfect ally Number Nine, who was attracted to Gorgon. Gorgon, Karnak, and the others were cast into the Hell dimension ruled by Mephisto and Blackheart, where the demons attempted to corrupt their souls. But with the appearance of the Silver Surfer, they ultimately retrieved Ahura and returned him to Medusa.

Gorgon also defended Attilan against Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur) and his Dark Riders and the extraterrestrial Brethren.

When a nuclear accident endangered Attilan, the Fantastic Four helped return the city to Earth, resting near its original location on the recently resurfaced continent of Atlantis. Maximus subsequently formed an alliance with Colonel Yuri Stalyenko as he led an invasion of Attilan. Gorgon was key in the battle against the invaders, leading the militia on the ground. Ultimately, through a plan conceived by Black Bolt and Karnak, Attilan was returned to the Himalayas, thwarting Maximus and Stalyenko. However, Attilan was soon reclaimed by the Kree, who used long-dormant fail-safes to place the Inhumans under their control to use as foot soldiers against the Shi’ar Empire. The Inhumans lost faith in Black Bolt, and many chose to remain in space for a time, but the entire race was ultimately reunited at the Blue Area of the Moon.

At some point, Gorgon had fathered a daughter, Alecto. When she became a teenager, Gorgon was disgusted to learn she had fallen in love with Reyno, a young Alpha Primitive. When the young couple went to the Fantastic Four for sanctuary, Gorgon pursued them, but was persuaded by Mr. Fantastic to overcome his prejudices and let them alone.

Quicksilver later lost his mutant powers, and he absconded with many of the Terrigen Crystals needed to create the Terrigen Mist, hoping to regain his abilities. The lost crystals were claimed by the U.S. government’s agency O*N*E, which then refused to return them to the Inhumans. Gorgon led a militia team to Manhattan, taking hostages at a theater and demanding the crystals’ return. But, Gorgon’s subordinate Jolen killed some of the humans, precipitating a conflict. The Fantastic Four fought and defeated Gorgon’s team, who were later taken into custody. The O*N*E experimented with the crystals upon Gorgon, curious to see what effect the Terrigenesis process would have on someone who had already been transformed. Gorgon was further mutated into a larger, more powerful, less human form. Black Bolt led the Inhumans in a rescue operation, finally retrieving Gorgon’s team and the crystals, but the U.S. had learned enough to manufacture a team of Terrigenized Marines, who made a suicidal assault on Attilan, destroying the Inhumans’ faith in Black Bolt. Maximus once more regained the throne and put most of the Inhumans under his thrall, including Gorgon.

After Black Bolt was replaced by a Skrull agent of Queen Veranke, the Skrulls soon launched an all-out assault on Attilan. Gorgon and the other royals then found the real Black Bolt and rescued him. Determined to no longer be victims, the Inhumans converted Attilan for space travel and pursued the Skrulls fleeing Earth, destroying them within Shi’ar territory. Next, Black Bolt led a conquest of the Kree, forcing their ruler Ronan the Accuser to transfer his authority to Black Bolt. Gorgon became a chief military leader and prepared the Kree for warfare when the Shi’ar’s mad emperor Vulcan (Gabriel Summers) declared war on them. At one point in the conflict, Gorgon and the Shi’ar warrior Starbolt were briefly trapped on the planet Sakaar, where they clashed with the Hulk’s son Skaar. In the war’s climax, Vulcan and Black Bolt seemingly destroyed each other.

Gorgon remained a loyal bodyguard to Medusa as she continued as queen of the Kree, while his body gradually rejected most of the enhancements granted by his second Terregenesis. When Gorgon questioned Medusa’s judgment in masterminding disturbances for the Inhumans to defeat to impress the Kree, Medusa battered Gorgon to remind him of his place.